


Midnight In The Mansion

by AtheneNoctua



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Horror, Paranormal, Ritual Game
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-06
Updated: 2019-03-06
Packaged: 2019-11-12 15:28:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18013475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AtheneNoctua/pseuds/AtheneNoctua
Summary: Reborn ropes the TYL Vongola guardians (minus Lambo and Hibari) into playing the Midnight Game in the mansion.  Scares, spooks, and creeps await the reader!Warnings: A little blood in the beginning, strong language, paranormal ritual





	Midnight In The Mansion

**First Hour**

“Good.  You all came,” Reborn said, looking at them.

Arveria folded her arms and looked around at everyone.  Aside from Lambo and Hibari, all of Tsuna’s guardians were standing in the large atrium of the mansion.  Even Sakura and Francesca had joined them. 

Aside from the atrium’s light, it was dark and eerily silent.  Even at this point of the night there would normally be someone finishing paperwork or running an errand or doing something.  Now though?  Everyone was gone. 

“Why did you call us here at midnight?”  Tsuna glanced around nervously before looking back at Reborn.

Reborn smirked.  “We’re going to play the Midnight Game.”

“Hell, no,” Gokudera said instantly and shook his head.  “I am not playing that.”

“What’s the Midnight Game,” Ryohei asked.

“It’s a ritual game,” Reborn said, hauling out a box of candles and papers.  “The game starts at midnight and ends at 3:33 AM.”

“What it is is a summoning ritual,” Gokudera growled.  “You invite the Midnight Man and he chases you.”

“Summoning, like demon?”  Arveria’s blood went cold as the prospect of being hunted wormed its way into her mind.  “If so, I’m not doing this.  This is a bad idea.  We don’t fuck with the paranormal.” 

“I’m with them here,” Sakura said, her eyes wide.  “We don’t invite these things in.”

“There’s no point in playing this,” Mukuro said, frowning.  “I’m going home.”

“Oh, no, you don’t,” Arveria said, grabbing his arm.  “If I’m forced to suffer through this, so are you.”

“It’s just a game though, right?”  Francesca shrugged her shoulders, but her fingers strayed to her rosary beads.

“Exactly,” Ryohei said.  “It won’t hurt you.”

“Actually,” Reborn said, gaining everyone’s attention, “it does require your blood.  And your full name.”

“So it’s a blood contract.”  Sakura rubbed her forehead.  

Arveria whimpered and hugged herself.  “Blood and giving away my name to a spirit or demon, entity,  _whatever_  that may or may not want to kill me?  No way.”

“Before we go any further, what are the rules,” Chrome asked, finally speaking up.

“It’s simple,” Reborn said.  “You write your name on the paper, add some of your blood to it, and grab a candle.  They are lit and placed in front of a closed door.  You knock 22 times, with the last knock being at midnight.  After that, you open the door, blow out the candle and then relight them.  From there on, the Midnight Man has been invited in.  The only goal is to keep moving until 3:33.”

“Is that all,” Yamamoto asked.  He studied the box, eyes narrowed.

“All the lights must stay off.  If the Midnight Man is close, your candle will go out.  It must be relit in 10 seconds or else you need to create a salt circle and stay there until this is over.  If he catches you, he’ll either cause you to hallucinate or rip out your organs.  If you break any rules, he’ll never stop haunting you.”

“This is a bad idea,” Sakura moaned, glancing at them.  

“I agree.  We have no guarantee he’ll leave us alone afterwards.”  Arveria shivered, unsure if it was from chill or fear.

“You don’t believe this, do you,” Mukuro chuckled. 

“Yes, I do.  You’re the one who’s been to hell, but you don’t believe in it?” 

“Regardless, you don’t have a choice,” Reborn said.  “You’re locked in for the night.”

Arveria guffawed slightly.  “Well, shit.  Sakura, I’m staying by you.”

Reborn set out the materials: A pin, candle, paper and salt for everybody except Reborn. 

Grudgingly, they wrote their names and everyone dotted them except for Arveria.

“I don’t want to,” she complained, staring down the pin.  She was queasy when she considered pricking her finger and seeing the red fingerprints of her friends.  “It’s a blood contract.   _Blood_.”

“It’s just like the doctor’s, Arveria,” Sakura said.  “You can do this.”

Her nose prickled as tears gathered.  Her jaw tensed and ached.  “Last time I went to the doctor, I almost fainted.”

Chrome came over to her and picked up the pin.  “What’s your favorite song?”

“My favorite?”  Scrunching up her face, she tried to think of one.  Just one.  Something to take her mind off this.    

“Can you sing it for me,” Chrome asked.

Arveria shook her head.  “No.”

“It’s almost midnight,” Reborn said.

“Hold on,” Sakura said.  Getting up, she sat by Arveria.  She looked her right in the eye.  “So, do you want to tell me what you and Mukuro did last night?”

Her face heated up and she glared at Sakura.  “You…can shut your mouth, bitch.”

The pin pricked her and she squealed.  She tried to recoil, but Sakura grabbed her finger and pressed it to the paper. 

As soon as she let go, Arveria pulled it back and held it gingerly.  She licked the excess blood off.  “That hurt.”

“It wouldn’t have hurt if you’d done it earlier.”

“Gather your candle and paper and come to the closet.  Set them in and I’ll tell you when to start knocking.”  Reborn turned off the light as they lit their candles. 

They lined up in front of a door.  Reborn took out his phone and looked at the clock. 

“Start knocking…now.”

They knocked in unison, the knocks sinking and dying in the heavy air.  One.  Two.  Three…

It was an eternity before they hit 22.  The air was electric and they looked at each other, only silhouettes in the moonlight.

Opening the door, they blew out their candles.  They closed the door one last time before opening it to relight the candles.  The newly lit candles barely eluminated their area and caused their shadows to snake out behind them.  Double checking to make sure everyone had salt, they split up and headed out.

*****

“I can’t believe he left you,” Arveria said.

Sakura snorted, making her flame jump.  “Someone needs to stick by Tsuna.  And I couldn’t leave you guys.”

“We would have been fine,” Mukuro said, the candle casting shadows on his narrowed eyes. 

“I don’t know,” Arveria said, gazing down the empty stretch of hallway.  It seemed narrower, gathering to a point in the darkness.  “A larger group is easier, I think.  We can watch each other’s backs.”  She glanced behind her.  It was unnaturally dark without stars or the moon.  Her back felt too vulnerable.  Anything could be hiding in the darkness and candle-created shadows.  Suddenly, her candle went out. 

A scream trapped in her throat as she scrambled for the matches.  She cursed as the first match broke. 

“Get it lit!”  Sakura turned back, panic on her face. 

“I’m trying!”  Arveria lit the second and prayed the wick caught.  Wax dribbled on her hand, nearly burning.  She winced, focusing on the tiny flame.   

She released her held breath as the wick flickered back up.  The wax was already dried and she picked it off.

Mukuro chuckled.  “There’s nothing to worry about.”

“Did you blow that out?!”  Sakura glared at him.  

He smirked.  “It’s a game.”

“Mukuro-sama,” Chrome said softly, “you should take this more seriously.”

“I’m going to kill you,” Arveria said, her voice thick with tangled nerves as she poked him in the chest.  “I don’t care if the Midnight Man kills me.  I’m coming back and killing you.”

They walked in silence, moving slowly to keep their candles lit.  Every creak was amplified in the darkness.  Dim moonlight streamed through the sparse windows. 

Circling back towards the ballroom, Arveria glanced behind again, almost swearing she could see shadows skittering to keep up.   “What do you think he looks like,” she whispered, barely louder than their footsteps. 

Sakura hummed as she thought.  “I imagine he’s like a shadow or like a ghost.”

“Like one of those shadow figures?”  

“Exactly like a shadow figure.”

Arveria shivered, cupping her hand around her flame for warmth.  “I never want to see him.  One shadow figure is enough for a lifetime, thanks.” 

The ballroom was bare aside from a piano and the chairs lining the far wall.  The marble floor reflected the faded blue moonlight.  The trees outside cast grasping shadows that could not be dispelled by candlelight.  

Arveria approached the piano and carefully lifted the lid.  The keys gleamed lightly, almost like starlight.

“We need to keep moving,” Sakura hissed.  “We can’t let him catch up.”

“It’s just a second.”  The keys were cool and slick.  She played the last two high notes, letting the soft tinkling fill the empty space.  Any echoes were stifled, eaten by the vast room.  “I’m a Ghostbuster.”

“I though you weren’t supposed to provoke him,” Mukuro said, lifting an eyebrow.

“It’s not provoking and it’s not against the rules,” Arveria whispered.  “Provoking would be if I told the Midnight Man to go fuck himself.”

“Oh my god.”  Sakura ran a hand down her face.

“I think that may count as provoking now,” Chrome said.

“Let’s just keep moving.  We’re not supposed to stop,” Sakura said. 

The cover crashed down.  Arveria screamed and they all jumped away.  She stared at the piano wide-eyed, her heart pounding, threatening to break out of her chest.  The silence stretched on.  

“I mean, that happens sometimes.  That doesn’t mean anything.”  Arveria couldn’t look away, afraid of what she may see.

“You pissed him off,” Sakura choked out.   

“Well, he pissed me off.”

“Keep walking,” Chrome said, continuing forward.  

Resisting the urge to glance behind, they followed her out.

*****

The upper floor was mostly residencies, though they were empty now.  Someone left the rooms open, revealing dark long shadows, hiding the sharp corners of furniture and decoration.

“This place is a lot creepier than I thought it would be,” Tsuna said, nearly running into one of the doors.  

“These rooms are nice,” Ryohei said, sticking his head in.  “Are they all like this?”

“As far as I know,” Gokudera said, stepping past him and into the room. 

The room had a studio apartment set up with a large bathroom and kitchen.  Ryohei stepped into the bathroom.  “Look at the size of this!”

“I’ll admit,” Francesca said, examining the ornate shower and mirror, “I think the Vongola have us beat here.”

With no window, it was hard to make out some of the finer details with their candles. 

“This mirror’s almost creepy, isn’t it?”  Yamamoto stepped closer and peered into it, his reflection a pale shadow. 

“Let’s play Bloody Mary,” Ryohei said. 

“No,” Gokudera snarled.  “We’ve already stayed in this spot too long.”

Ryohei ignored him and stared into the mirror.  “Bloody Mary.”

“Shut up!”  Gokudera tugged on his arm while Yamamoto backed out.  “Shut the fuck up!”

“You shouldn’t be doing that,” Francesca muttered, clutching her candle.  Her eyes were wide and she gawked at him.  She clutched her beads, her knuckles turning red.

“Bloody Mary.”

Tsuna whimpered.  “I don’t think this is a good idea.  Let’s move.”

“Don’t do it!!” 

“Bloody Mary.”   Ryohei’s candle flickered out and Tsuna squealed.

“YOU, IDIOT!”  Gokudera punched him in the jaw.

“What was that for?!”  Ryohei glared at him. 

“You just invited something else in!”

Yamamoto grabbed Gokudera and pulled him back.  “Maa, maa.  Calm down.”

Francesca struggled to light a match for Ryohei.  They broke under her shaking fingers, refusing to light.  A soft wail reverberated around them. 

“Just make a circle!”  Francesca dropped the matches and pulled out her salt. 

Ryohei frantically poured salt around himself.  Francesca filled in spots that he missed.  

“I’m going to walk on,” Gokudera said, marching out of the room.

Tsuna glanced back at Ryohei, concern clear on his face.  “Will you be alright, Onii-san?”

Ryohei nodded, rubbing his jaw.  “I‘ll be fine.”

“Good luck.  We’ll get you when it’s done.”  With a last glance at him, Tsuna hurried out. 

“Take these,” Francesca said, handing him her rosary, “you’ll need them more than me.  Stay safe.”  She grasped his hands in hers and touched her forehead to them.  “I’ll see you later.”

“See you when we’re done,” Yamamoto said, nearly jogging to catch up. 

*****

Ryohei looked around, the room seemed much bigger without everyone else. 

He sat down, eyes adjusting to having no candle.  He rubbed Francesca’s rosary, the beads smooth and worn from use.  

Nobody seemed to live in this apartment.  There were no decorations in sight and nothing in the shower or around the sink.  It even smelled new and like cleaning supplies.  Ryohei continued to stare at the wall, already bored.

Something flickered along it, dark and slender. 

“Hello?”

It took a step towards him, a void in the shadows, and flew out of the room.

 


End file.
